The New Rules of Business – and Leadership
Hello All,
The King of the Blog strikes again! (What would I do without Ashish?) There have been multiple requests for a “Like” button – and he has made it happen! Now at the end of each blog, right above the “Share this Post” section, there is a thumbs up button for you to click. WOOHOO!
NFL history was made this past Monday night at the Rams vs. the Buccaneers game. For the first time ever in league history, an all Black officiating crew worked an NFL game! The seven members of the crew – Jerome Boger, Barry Anderson, Carl Johnson, Dale Shaw, Anthony Jefferies, Greg Steed – have a combined 89 seasons of NFL experience and have worked six Super Bowls. The very first Black official hired by the NFL was Burl Tover, hired in 1965. He served as a head linesman until 1980, including working Super Bowl XIV. Another opportunity to celebrate!
I am always looking for new information to share with you! 2020 has brought changes to so many things, including business and leadership. How we used to do things is not going to work today – either with today’s environment or with the incredible multigenerational people who make up our societies. This is a time to unlearn some things, relearn some things and just flat out learn.
As usual, my favorite magazine arrived and provided a gift! The October/November 2020 issue of Fast Company – actually their 25th anniversary issue – included an article about “The New Rules of Business”. The editors of Fast Company asked the “Fast Company Impact Council – an invitation-only group of forward-thinking corporate and nonprofit leaders, CEOs, innovators and founders – to help draft the new rules of business.” These leaders brought forth the following the following “prescription for the next 25 years and beyond”. I found these absolutely fascinating and on point – so I wanted to share with you!
1. Bring Democracy to Work – this revolves around fair and inclusive workplaces and corporate cultures. “Leaders should voluntarily share data about pay and diversity metrics, encourage employees to speak up when they see wrongdoing, and find ways to extend benefits and opportunities to all employees.” It also calls for leaders to “listen, be empathetic and then act”.
2. Invest in Community – this revolves around philanthropy, giving back to the communities that the company operates in – both caring for the community, the people and the public spaces.
3. Define Your Purpose – this revolves around sustainability, governance practices and business strategy – “being good stewards of the world and leaving the place a little better than we found it.”
4. Be Authentic – I love this one because it is about opening and sharing one’s heart, being empathetic and candid conversations.
5. Curiosity is Currency – this revolves around questioning assumptions, recognizing there is rarely one single answer to a problem, being creative, curious and human! It is also about life-long learning.
6. Change is Constant – this revolves around who can “gain from disruption rather than be broken by it” – and “change is not about the ‘what’ but the ‘who’.”
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during these conversations. This synopsis barely touches the depth of this article. The whole article bears reading, so if this intrigues you, then please check out fastcompany.com . I think you will find it very worthwhile!
I love one of the quotes from Edith Cooper, the cofounder of Medley: “Companies are going to have to understand where their employees come from – the pressures and realities that they live in – in order to create an environment where everyone can perform to their potential.”
As leaders, we must continue to listen, read, learn and evolve. And then we must encourage and find ways to support our most valuable human resources to do the same thing!
Phyl
P.S. I am going to finish my November thankfulness list since my next post will be in December! November 21 – music, from classical to rap to indie to pop – I love it all! November 22 – potato chips and French onion dip. November 23rd – laughter, from giggles to full out belly laughs! November 24 – strawberries and pineapples – and, this year the date was also our 30th wedding anniversary! November 25 – football and baseball (my maternal grandpa was an umpire). November 26th – angel food cake and brownies. November 27th – my little mom’s neighbors – they are the best! November 28th – rainbows. November 29th – LOVE. November 30th – I always begin the month and end the month with the same things – family and friends! The people who keep you sane, love you no matter what, and you can always depend on. I am so blessed!